Phone that's so smart it's better than an iPad

The iPad's status as the must-have gadget could be under threat from a new rival, in the shape of a mobile phone that can double as a laptop.

Motorola's Atrix phone, which goes on sale in Britain this year, has been dubbed a "laptop killer". Users can buy a screen and keyboard for the gadget, turning it into a fully featured laptop.

It so impressed the experts at influential technology magazine T3 that they snubbed the iPad 2 - Apple's latest version of its tablet device - to hand the Atrix the "hottest gadget" accolade.

T3 editor Luke Peters said: "This wasn't about products that have been hyped, but about products that really disrupt the market. We see the iPad 2 as more of an evolution than a revolution. The Atrix can really reshape how we think about mobile phones. It's incredibly powerful and versatile, and for us it really showed that you can do something different with a mobile phone.

"The fact it can become a real laptop by plugging it into an accessory really moves on the mobile phone category. Who knows what Apple has up its sleeve, but for now the Atrix really shows something different.

"It is also a warning to Apple that mobile phones like the Atrix that run Google's Android software are really making a big impact."

Although the iPad came second in the poll, Apple still sold out of the £399 gadget in many stores within three days, and is warning online buyers they face a wait of three to four weeks.

"Demand for the next-generation iPad 2 has been amazing," Apple said. "We're working hard to get it into customers' hands."